Health & Safety Policy Template

[Name] Dental Practice Health and Safety Policy[Date]

Health and Safety Policy

Policy Statement

The ……… [Name] Dental Practice is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe working environment for all its employees and visitors to its premises, in accordance with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and other relevant Acts and Regulations. The ……… [Name] Dental Practice recognises and accepts its responsibility as a good employer for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees and to ensure that the health and safety of visitors and contractors are not affected as a result of the Practice’s activities.

Responsibilities

……… [Name] has overall responsibility for the health and safety within the Practice. ……… [Name] is responsible for the administration of health and safety issues within the Practice, including this policy, and for ensuring compliance with the relevant legislation. The following staff have specific responsibility for health and safety in the areas listed:

Dental Team Member Responsibility [Name] Health and Safety training [Name] Risk assessment [Name] Fire safety [Name] Radiation Protection [Name] Infection control (including waste) [Name] First aid [Name] Investigation of accidents [Name] Maintaining and testing of equipment

Employees also have responsibilities. The ……… [Name] Dental Practice expects everyone to take reasonable care to ensure their own safety and that of other people who might be affected by their acts or omissions at work. Employees are also required, by law, to attend any health and safety training that is provided for them. This policy applies to all employees of the practice, dental associates, dental hygienists and other contractors providing services to the dental practice, collectively referred to throughout the policy as ‘staff’. If any member of staff has any concerns regarding health and safety, they must inform the relevant person listed above.

How will a safe and healthy workplace be provided? To ensure a safe and healthy workplace, the ……… [Name] Dental Practice:  provides all staff with suitable information and training for general health and safety in the workplace and for the safe use of specific equipment and materials;

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 provides and maintains safe equipment, systems and working conditions;  evaluates risks;  has procedures in place to eliminate or minimise risks. Specific details about how this is achieved are provided in this document. Health and safety matters are discussed at staff meetings, and this policy is kept up to date and reviewed annually.

Staff Training ……… [Name] Dental Practice provides members of staff with suitable training for general health and safety in the workplace. Training sessions take place every ……… [Timescale e.g. month; quarter] and are organised by ………. [Name]. Any concerns or uncertainty about individual competency to carry out a certain task or to deal with a specific health and safety issue are reported to ……… [Name].

Maintenance of Equipment All equipment is regularly tested and serviced by suitably qualified and certified engineers according to manufacturers’ instructions. Any maintenance problems must be reported to ……… [Name]. Members of staff adhere to manufacturer’s instruction for the use of equipment to avoid posing a threat to themselves or others.

Risk Assessment The practice aims to eliminate or minimise the health and safety risks to staff and visitors to the practice by conducting a risk assessment of the whole practice every ……… [Timescale e.g. quarter; year], and making any changes necessary (see Risk Assessment template). All staff are encouraged to discuss risks at staff meetings and raise any concerns they might have.

Premises … … … [Name] is responsible for maintaining the premises. Assessment of the practice premises is included in the risk assessment for the whole practice. The Practice provides premises that have adequate ventilation and lighting, are kept at a temperature of above 16ºC, and have floors kept in good repair. Drinking water is provided for staff in the staff room, and toilet facilities are provided. The practice is cleaned ……… [e.g. daily or according to cleaning schedule].

If any member of staff notices a fault or has any concern regarding the practice premises, contact ……… [Name].

Fire Safety ……… [Name] is responsible for fire safety within the Practice. To minimise the risk of fire a fire risk assessment is carried out as part of the Health and Safety risk assessment of the whole practice. Training is provided to all staff regarding what to do in the event of a fire (see below for procedure) and a fire drill is conducted ……… [Timescale e.g. every 6 months] with a record kept. The fire alarm and smoke alarms are checked weekly by ……… [Name] at ……… [Time] on ……… [Day] and a notice of this is displayed ………. [Location]. Fire doors are signposted, kept free of obstruction and kept closed. Fire extinguishers are present ………. [insert locations], instructions on how to use them are displayed, and extinguishers are inspected annually by ……… [Name].

Procedure to follow in the event of fire or sounding of a fire alarm or smoke detector  Raise awareness within the Practice.  Dial 999 to report a fire.  Evacuate the building, and ask all to congregate at ……… [location of muster point].  Only tackle a fire if it poses no threat to your personal safety.

Electricity at Work ……… [Name] Dental Practice recognises that regular inspection of electrical equipment by a competent person is an essential part of a preventative maintenance programme. ……… [Name] Dental Practice ensures that all electrical equipment is maintained in good working order and that testing of both fixed and portable equipment is carried out regularly. Staff are encouraged to visually check each piece of portable electrical equipment before use and to report any suspected faults to ……… [Name]. Faults include damage to the plug, flex or socket or cables that are trapped, kinked or trailing. Records of faults will be maintained with the practice records. ……… [Name] conducts formal visual inspections on all portable electrical equipment at the practice. Records of these inspections are maintained and kept with the practice records. ……… [Name] carries out testing of portable appliances (PAT testing) every [Timescale e.g. two; three] years. ……… [Name] electrician has inspected and tested the mains systems and electrical wiring and advises a retest interval of ……… [Timescale e.g. every xxx years]. Records of such inspections and tests are maintained and kept with the practice records.

Display Screen Equipment ……… [Name] Dental Practice recognises that there are health and safety risks associated with use of display screen equipment. To minimize these risks ……… [Name] ensures that each workstation meets the minimum requirements set out in the Schedule to the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. ……… [Name] will carry out a risk assessment of all workstations in the practice, taking into account the individual tasks to be performed at each workstation, and the individual needs of each member of staff (see Display Screen Equipment Assessment template for details). ……… [Name] will provide training to all users of display screen equipment, and encourage users to carry out their own risk assessment periodically and make appropriate changes or discuss any problems with ……… [Name]. ……… [Name] will arrange eye sight tests for users of display screen equipment, and the Practice will cover the basic costs of spectacles or other corrective devices if these are required specifically for the use of display screen equipment. All users of display screen equipment will be encouraged to take breaks to avoid visual or musculo- skeletal fatigue.

Manual Handling The risks associated with manual handling are assessed in the health and safety risk assessment of the whole practice, and arrangements are put in place to minimise the risk of injury from manual handling. Staff are provided with Health and Safety training and information about good practice for manual handling is provided (see Manual Handling Guide). If regular manual handling duties are required as part of a member of staff’s role, these are documented in their employment contract.

If any injury occurs as a result of manual handling, staff will report this to ……… [Name].

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health ……… [Name] Dental Practice has arrangements in place to comply with COSSH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002) regulations (see COSSH Assessment template). This includes identifying substances hazardous to health in the workplace and formal assessment (in writing) of the risk to employees from these materials. Control measures are provided to reduce the risk from hazardous substances and all members of staff are provided with adequate instruction and training. Health surveillance is provided where appropriate and plans are in place to deal with any emergencies that involve hazardous substances. New materials or concerns about the safety of substances are reported to ……… [Name] for further assessment. The assessment outcomes are recorded and kept in ……… [Location].

Mercury Handling … … … [Name] Dental Practice premises are designed to enable the safe handling of mercury. A COSSH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002) assessment for mercury is conducted by the practice. All members of staff who come into contact with mercury are provided with in-house training to ensure safe handling of this potentially hazardous material. Mercury spillage kits are available and waste mercury and amalgam are disposed to the correct waste stream. In the event of possible mercury exposure, ……… [Name] will arrange for members of staff to undergo an assessment of their biological levels of mercury. Members of staff are required to report any event which may pose an exposure threat to themselves or others to ……… [Name].

Radiation Protection Radiation equipment in ……… [Name] Dental Practice premises has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive. ……… [Name] Dental Practice provides training for members of staff who are eligible to take radiographs. Local rules for each machine used in the practice are kept [e.g. in the Radiation Protection File]. ……… [Name] is the Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS) and monitors the implementation of the local rules. Members of staff involved in taking radiographs who did not have appropriate training or are not confident in taking radiographs must report to ……… [Name] (RPS). Any incidents, including overexposure, which may pose a threat to staff or patients are reported to ……… [Name] (RPS). Advice on radiation protection is provided by ……… [Name], Radiation Protection Advisor (RPA).

Infection Control ……… [Name] Dental Practice has an Infection Control Policy, based on Health Protection Scotland’s “Standard Infection Control Precautions”. This document covers areas including training in infection control; immunisation; procurement of instruments and equipment (including single-use items); personal protective equipment; hand hygiene; decontamination; environmental cleaning (including blood spillage); clinical and special waste; needlestick and other inoculation incidents; latex allergy. All members of staff are required to comply with Infection Control Policy. The Infection Control Policy is reviewed and updated regularly by ……… [Name]. Any incidents or concerns about infection control are reported to ……… [Name].

Waste Management ……… [Name] Dental Practice has a written Waste Management Policy in place which is updated regularly by ……… [Name]. Members of staff are required to comply with the Waste

Management Policy, and ensure that waste is correctly segregated at source, packaged, labelled, stored, transported and disposed of accordingly. Any concerns or uncertainty about the waste management are reported to ……… [Name].

Personal Protective Equipment Personal protective equipment is provided in those circumstances where staff are exposed to risks to their health that cannot be controlled by other means. All members of staff are required to comply with the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. ……… [Name] Dental Practice has a written Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Policy in place which is updated regularly by ……… [Name]. ……… [Name] Dental Practice provides staff with recommended personal protective equipment and relevant training as appropriate. Any concerns or uncertainty about personal protective equipments are reported to ……… [Name].

Latex Allergy ……… [Name] Dental Practice requires all staff to comply with the Practice Latex Policy. This includes preventing the development of allergies amongst the dental team, protection for sensitised staff and management of patients with allergies. ……… [Name] is responsible for assessing the risk that natural rubber latex poses to staff and patients. Members of staff who are sensitive to natural rubber latex or with any other types of allergies are required to report to ……… [Name]. Any concerns or uncertainty about the management of latex allergy, whether patients or staff members, are reported to ……… [Name].

RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995) All staff are required to comply with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) and receive appropriate training for this. All incidents are reported to ……… [Name]. ……… [Name] will assess the incident and then report it to the local Health and Safety Executive [Contact details], if required by RIDDOR. Details of incidents are recorded in the Data Protection Compliant Accident Book, which is maintained by ……… [Name]. All records are kept for a period of at least 3 years.

First Aid ……… [Name] Dental Practice provides all staff with health and safety policy information on first aid arrangements. ……… [Name] is responsible for administering first aid and other necessary first aid arrangements, including maintaining a fully stocked first aid box and calling emergency services when required. First aid equipments are located in ……… [Location]. Any concerns or uncertainty about first aid arrangements are reported to ……… [Name].

Pressure Vessels ……… [Name] Dental Practice provides all relevant staff with training in the operation of pressure vessels, including sterilizers and compressors. Safety inspection and certification for sterilizers and compressors are carried out by a Competent Person (……… [Competent Person Contractor Details]) at intervals specified by them. ……… [Name] is responsible for the maintenance of the pressure vessel equipment.

Lasers ……… [Name] Dental Practice provides appropriate documented training to all staff working with laser equipment. ……… [Name] is laser protection adviser to ……… [Name] Dental Practice. All staff are required to comply with the local laser safety rules. The laser

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Policy Last updated: ______Date of next review: ______

[Name and/or designation of responsible person] Signature: ______

The following staff have read and understood this policy [include all team members]. Dental Team Position Signature Date Member

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